


What You Never (Knew You) Needed

by Skylar_Matthews



Category: Transformers - All Media Types, Transformers Generation One
Genre: Multi, more to come - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-10-07
Updated: 2013-10-07
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:24:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,734
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skylar_Matthews/pseuds/Skylar_Matthews
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just another hook-up fic. At least it started that way then grew a plot but I'm still working out what that is so enter at your own risk. Rating is 90% likely to raise in later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	What You Never (Knew You) Needed

"I said no, Jazz." Prowl turned a corner hoping the other would take the hint and drop the matter, though realistically he knew better.

As expected, the saboteur's voice picked up a new, yet very old, question behind him. "Why not, Prowler?"

"Because I'm not interested in pursuing a relationship currently." It was their same old song and dance. Jazz would come asking and he'd always politely refuse. It was nothing against Jazz personally. In fact, Prowl had properly chased off everyone else who'd ever shown interest in him but Jazz was different.

"I'm sure if I've explained this once before, I've explained it ten thousand times. I do believe that's just this vorn alone." If one knew the tactician well enough, they might just detect a hint of playfulness in the latter statement. There was a certain familiarity to these exchanges and at the same time both strove to make them just a bit different. "Besides, I hardly have the time to dedicate to a relationship; someone on this crew needs to make sure the work gets done."

"Ya always say that," Jazz pouted.

"If repetition of a statement made it true then the universe would be vastly different."

"Tha's not what I meant and ya know it. I want a real reason."

"That is a perfectly valid-"

"No," the sabotuer interrupted. "Tha's you sidesteppin' the answer." He ex-vented noticeably. "Look, I know ya know I like ya and ya say ya like me too so what's the issue? I know ya'd find a way around 'em if time constraints really were the problem so the only thought left is yer just stringin' me along."

The shock (and perhaps more than a bit of repulsion at the idea) was visible in his frame and voice as Prowl responded. "That's not it at all, Jazz."

"Why do ya keep rejectin' me then?" Jazz asked back in a soft tone. "What's so wrong with me, Prowl?"

It was the use of his proper designation that convinced him this was more than just a game this time. Not the saddened voice, the dimmed, downcast visor nor the overall dejected slump of the other's frame. None spoke as highly of his utter despair. They were all convincing, yes, but given the saboteur's role, all also easily faked. Never though did Jazz ever just call him Prowl unless it was a serious situation.

Steeling his resolve, Prowl reached out across the small distance between them and touched Jazz's arm. "We need to talk, in private."

Confused, Jazz just nodded and followed along as Prowl led the way to his office. He stayed silent until the tactician had shut and locked the door behind them and turned to him.

Before Jazz could more than begin to question, Prowl spoke and it came out in a rush before he could lose the will to share. "I really do care about you, more than I probably should. I wouldn't lie about something like that. But you deserve someone better than me. Someone who can make you happy. Someone you can share everything with. And as much as I wish things were different, that's not me...

"You asked what was wrong with you, and the answer is nothing. I'm the broken one."

"I don't believe that."

"Jazz..."

"No. I don't care what anyone else has said, what they think... I know you better than any of them and there's nothing wrong with you."

"You're wrong. What about my crashes?"

"An unfortunate side effect of an irreversible mod."

"My lacking emotional protocols?"

"Ya just have better control than anyone expects and they don' look hard enough."

"I'm worthless in combat; one hit to my very visible weak point and I'm out of the fight entirely."

"Yer better suited fer long range. It'd be hard ta direct us through yer battle plans if ya were in the middle of them anyway."

"It literally drives me mad when I'm not working."

"Stubborn mech," Jazz mused with laughter in his voice. "Ya like being busy; I understand that well. All the more reason ta drag ya along ta parties and teach ya ta socialize properly."

"I am the second in command of this army. That severely limits the time I have available to spend with anyone."

"If ya delegated some a' those tasks ta others ya'd get more free time."

"Many of those datapads need to be signed off on by a ranking officer, so they would end up on your desk if not mine." The counter argument held a touch of amusement.

"Well ya can keep those ones then," Jazz answered with a chuckle. "The point is ta give us time t'gether, not free ya up some time by lockin' up mine."

"Or you could work on them while you're in my office all day anyway."

"Ah'm still not likin' this plan..." Jazz moved across the short distance that separated them and tentatively pulled Prowl closer, into a light embrace. After a moment of surprise the tactician brought his own arms up and moved closer against Jazz.

A short while later the saboteur finally asked, "feelin' better?"

Prowl vented softly, his helm still pressed against Jazz. "You do have the uncanny knack for making me forget and feel like a normal mech, but that will never really be me. I don't even like interfacing."

"Is that all this is about, mech?"

Prowl pulled away, intending to chastise Jazz for belittling him or maybe to question or... well, he really didn't know what he was going to do because his thoughts all evaporated when he saw the cheer and relief in the other's expression. His own shock and confusion must have shown through because Jazz immediately explained.

"We've been dancin' around one another fer ages an' I couldn't understand why an' I was startin' ta worry it had ta do with Praxian customs I didn't know and maybe couldn't fit but it'd be wrong if I asked ya ta abandon yer culture just fer me, but this..." If possible, his smile got even brighter. "I can totally work with this. Fun as it is, relationships are about a lot more than 'facing one another strutless."

"I..."

"Prowl?" Jazz's demeanor jumped to concerned almost instantly. "Are ya alright? Please tell me this ain't gonna make ya lock up." No, this was definitely not a cause he wanted  
to explain to Ratchet, if it came to that.

"No," the tactician answered slowly, distracted. "I just need to think. I hadn't dared hope you'd still be interested."

"Are you really runnin' simulations on this?"

"It helps me focus."

"But about this?"

"it is the situation at hand."

Jazz had no response to that so he settled for waiting quietly and hoping for the best. Thankfully it wasn't too much later when Prowl finally spoke again. Although not what he expected to hear.

"Praxus was destroyed vorns ago, you know, and we have yet to find any others who survived so it is highly likely only the three of us remain. Bluestreak was too young to learn yet and Smokescreen seems to have abandoned all the traditions. Even if I were inclined to do so, it would be a losing battle to try and retain community customs as an individual mech."

"So ya were forced to let go of your culture?"

"Essentially, but such are the necessities of war... If we all survive then we can rebuild the customs even more easily than the buildings. An update was due in any case as there were several questionable traditions in place. For example, only nobility was allowed to consider taking a partner from another city, and almost without exception those pairings were solely political."

The next question wasn't what Jazz had intended to ask but he found he couldn't help it. "Was that somethin' ya had ta worry about too?"

"Does it actually matter?" Prowl asked back. "I left Praxus a long time ago and I'm not at all interested in either of my options to stay native. I highly doubt either is available or interested in me as well."

"So..." Suddenly hesitant, Jazz forced himself to smile when he brought up his next question. "What are the chances of 'you and I' becomin' an 'us'?"

"Our odds of being a successful couple are very slim, about 1%." Jazz's expression dropped but Prowl continued without noticing. "There's just under a 70% chance our differences divide us, 40% chance that it's in a spectacular fight and about 25% likelihood that it happens within the first decaorn. The odds of one or the other of us getting killed are about 15%, 2% chance it's both of us and about 10% chance you find someone better for you with less than 1% that I do."

"I wasn't asking for the statistics," Jazz commented dully, watching the floor. He'd known it would take a lot of effort for them to work out but those numbers were just depressing.

"I know," Prowl answered, "but you have to hear them. There's only 7 scenarios where we have a future together, including a couple versions where we actually survive the war. If this was a mission I'd never even consider agreeing to it with such high odds of failure."

Jazz visibly flinched. "There are easier ways to break a spark ya know..."

"Jazz..." This time Prowl was the one to move closer and gently draw the saboteur's helm back up to face him. "If you would stop interrupting, my point is this. Everything is stacked against us and it won't be easy, but if we do work out it will be amazing and I'm willing to take that risk. For you. If you'll still have me, knowing all that."

As he'd listened, Jazz's mood slowly brightened until he was all but beaming at the end. "Are ya crazy? I've been chasin' ya forever and ya think ya'll scare me off when I finally get ya ta say yes?"

"And you called me stubborn..." but the comment came with a smile. "We're really going to try this then?"

In answer Jazz leaned in and claimed a kiss. "'Course we are. An' we'll even prove your statistics wrong, just watch."

"I would like that," Prowl replied, his spark pulsing happily as he pulled Jazz back to him for another, longer kiss.

This was definitely something he could get used to.

**Author's Note:**

> (Warning: incoming convoluted story about the development of the plot. Also, the link has no direct ties to this nor is this to be taken as a fill of any sort. I'm just taking the opportunity to shamelessly promote an idea I found and would love to see done by someone looking to fill it properly.)
> 
> So, I ran across this: <http://tfanonkink.livejournal.com/11776.html?thread=12574464#t12574464> the other day and it got me thinking about why it's so common (and maybe I'm wrong but that's the vast majority of reveal fics I've found, recs are loved) for one of them to be in the dark or neither of them to bother telling the other and I guess maybe they're just more forward in my mentalscape but anyway... So I started with the thought that they had to have had this come up early-ish on in their friendship and that spawned the very start of this, the first exchange of dialogue, which led to why wouldn't they have gotten together but I put the thought out of mind. Then I started typing, like a month later, and Prowl supplied me with 'reasons' for them not hooking up and I was kinda 'huh, but ok' and went with it. This was just gonna be a one shot too but then the last line worked perfectly to reflect into the start of a second chapter and then more thoughts happened and then around the third or fourth 'chapter' in my planning I found a plot. And then that plot decided to expand...
> 
> Seriously though, every time I thought I'd reached the end I got another idea because there were loose ends to be dealt with. Ironically, this isn't even the most insane idea origin story I have.


End file.
